Preview: Second-ranked UW-Whitewater plays host to No. 25 Berry College of Georgia on Saturday

Art Kabelowsky, The Janesville Gazette, Wis.
·3 min read

Sep. 16—What: UW-Whitewater (2-0), ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division III by d3football.com, vs. No. 25 Berry University (2-0) of Rome, Georgia.

When: Noon Saturday.

Where: Perkins Stadium, Whitewater.

Tickets/parking: Tickets, priced at $8 to $13, are available in advance at tickets.uww.edu and will be available at the stadium. Parking passes, priced at $6 and up (in advance), can be purchased at uww.edu/ce/homefootballparking.

Live streaming/radio/statistics: A live telecast can be found at uww.tv.housing.uww.edu. A live radio broadcast will be carried by WKCH Radio, 106.5 FM, and online at kix1065.com. Live statistics updates will be posted at uwwsports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary.

About the Warhawks: Coach Kevin Bullis' team moved past Mount Union into the No. 2 spot in the d3football.com rankings this week. The move was a result of the Warhawks' impressive 31-14 victory at No. 8 Salisbury (Maryland) last week. The Warhawks scored twice in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead, and after Salisbury got the first touchdown of the second half, the Warhawks scored 17 points in a 10-minute span over the third and fourth quarters to take control. Max Meylor, a 6-foot-3 senior, earned WIAC Player of the Week honors, completing 16 of 23 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns, giving him six on the season. Wide receiver Ryan Wisniewski, a 6-5 senior, caught two scoring passes and 5-10 junior wide receiver Tyler Holte and 5-8, 205-pound senior running back Alex Peete caught one each. Peete also rushed for 86 yards. Defensive back Jaden Hendrickson, a 6-foot freshman, led the defense with six tackles and senior defensive lineman Mackenzie Balanganayi had five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Saturday's game will wrap up Whitewater's nonconference slate. The Warhawks have next weekend off and will open WIAC play at home against UW-Stout on Saturday, Oct. 2.

About the Vikings: Berry is off to a 2-0 start and made its first appearance in the d3football.com national rankings this week after a 20-14 victory over Maryville of St. Louis and a 34-21 win at LaGrange (Ga.) College. Coach Tony Kunczewski led the creation of the Vikings program in 2013. The Vikings have won five consecutive Southern Athletic Conference titles, starting in 2016. Berry rallied from a 14-7 halftime deficit against Maryville, scoring after sophomore defensive back Kristofer Thomas blocked a punt and adding two field goals by Matthew Syverson. Last week, Berry racked up 443 yards of offense, 301 of them on the ground, and took a 31-0 halftime lead before coasting past LaGrange. Brandon Cade (5-11, 185, fr.) rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown and Gavin Gray (5-10, 180, jr.) threw for 96 yards and a score. The offensive line is anchored by Joel Alcarez (6-4, 280, sr.), David Billiard (6-3, 265, so.) and Tonny Garcia (6-0, 250, so.).

—Art Kabelowsky